Naval veterans visit town for meeting

The group of tourists who stopped by the fort in the harbor of St. Augustine Wednesday afternoon probably mused differently than most while looking at the cannons.

Rather than imagining what they could hit from the battlements, they were thinking about how to take out the armaments from the water.

A bunch made up mainly of Navy veterans, the group was in town for the national congress of the Naval Order of the United States. Founded in 1890, the Order is the oldest naval society in the United States and focuses on preserving the history and heritage of the maritime services.

"The study of history has waned," said retired Navy Capt. Gregory Streeter, a Jacksonville resident who is taking over national leadership of the group.

"It's very important for a culture to be aware of its deeds and the heroes that have gone before us."

It's been almost a decade since the order was in Jacksonville, a town with a reservoir of naval history that fits in well with the group's focus.

Among the speakers during the four-day event will be people talking about the Jacksonville Maritime Museum, the history of Mayport and efforts to bring a historic ship to the area as a museum.

"It's a good Navy town," said retired Navy Capt. John Wheeler, who came to the congress from Zephyrhills.

"You can tell if the average citizen of a city dislikes the military. You don't get that impression in Jacksonville."

On Sunday, the Naval Order will present to retired Adm. William Fallon its Distinguished Sea Service Award, an honor that has gone in the past to the likes of retired Marine Gen. James Jones, now the president's national security adviser.

Fallon held four four-star positions in his 41-year Navy career, including serving as commander of U.S. Central Command, the first naval officer to hold that position. He retired in the wake of a controversial magazine story that presented him as opposing the Bush administration's approach toward Iran.

Honoring the admiral fits in with the Order's focus on history, Streeter said.

"History is a continuing time line," he explained. "His career encompasses a tremendous slice of history."

For most of the congress, the focus will be on history further in the past, something attendees said is important.

"We need to be aware of our roots," said retired Navy Capt. Jim Dunne of Jacksonville. "You see a lot of that breaking down today. Without the historical perspective, you don't know where you came from."

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